FIREBAT'S FIRST ADVENTURE
by Cristov
Summary: A character of my own creation helps the greatest mutant team in all of creation
1. Prologue

This is my first published fanfic. Please r/r. **NO FLAMERS PLEASE.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Lilandra, Commando (even though I gave him an Earth name for reasons that will be explained later), or the Shi'ar Empire. General Hathad is just a name I created on the spur of the moment; I doubt we will hear from him again. Or will we?

Summary: In the midst of the Shi'ar Empire, a great chase is happening. Who is being chased and why?

**SHI'AR EMPIRE, NOT SO LONG AGO…**

Michael Neil strode as purposefully as he thought appropriate through the corridors of the starship _Shi'ar's Freedom_. He was headed for Empress Lilandra's throne room bearing news that he personally found grave and disturbing.

The metal doors whisked open and he stepped into the crowded throne room. Normally, the throne room of the most powerful being in a multitude star-systems would be packed to the rafters with dignitaries, beings of noble birth vying for better position or higher favors. Normally, Michael would have avoided the throne room like the plague. But, these are not normal times. The throne room was still crowded, but he was able to approach the dais where Lilandra was meeting with her military advisors.

He waited patiently while she listened to the different strategies and concerns from the heads of her military branches. Finally, she turned and acknowledged him. "Ah, Commando, you have returned. What have you to report?"

He slapped his fist to chest in salute. "My Empress, I have a multitude of issues to bring to bear. First, Commander Ja'san wished to report that she has disappeared from all sensors."

The silence that greeted this proclamation gave validity to the seriousness of the situation.

"We know where she will head, my Empress." General Hathad mentioned carefully.

"I am aware of that, General." Lilandra sat on her throne. M-Nell, or Commando as he was more commonly known, had to give her credit for not showing the fatigue and frustration that he knew she must have been feeling. "Set course immediately." She turned her attention back to Commando, "What else?"

"You had expressed an interest in the findings from my personal mission."

"Yes, of course." She waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "Please, leave us. We have personal matter to discuss."

Commando waited until silence had filled the chamber before he continued. "As you are aware, I went to Earth to investigate a claim made by a woman with whom I had become acquainted and…" He paused to search for an appropriate word.

"Intimate?" Lilandra suggested.

"Yes, intimate, thank you, Majesty. That claim being that she had birthed a son. Given her offspring's age, it would coincide with the time that most of the Imperial Guard, myself included, had been stationed there."

"And your findings?"

"He is my child. Being half-human he does not bear the colorations that members of the Kree race do, however, there can be no denying it. He is my child."

**NEXT: **Firebat makes an appearance, and who is Lilandra chasing?


	2. Chapter 2

It was midnight in the city of San Francisco as Thomas Fitzpatrick looked down from where he crouched atop a spire on the Golden Gate Bridge and surveyed the sprawling metropolis as if it were his own personal domain. And, in a way, it was. It was his home, having been born and raised here. It was his 'beat', to coin a phrase his dad, one of Frisco's finest, would use. And while Tommy was not a cop, he still felt the responsibility to protect the city, especially after a white supremacy group, Purifying Rain, had attacked his then girlfriend, Amanda, an African-American.

What had shocked him the most was the one who led the attack, a white woman who called herself Warangel. She had had a pair of fully feathered wings that, apparently, gave her the ability to fly. She also appeared to be a very competent fighter, especially in the air. Which he found out in short order when he revealed that he too had wings and could fly. That was the final straw for his relationship with Amanda. So not only did he get his butt thoroughly stomped by Warangel, Amanda stomped his heart by breaking up with him.

A distant alarm attracted his attention and brought him back to the present. He stood, unfurled his wings, and jumped off the bridge. Halfway down to the water, he snapped his wings open and captured a rising thermal updraft. He rode the updraft to about ten feet above the bridge and began gliding toward the source of the alarm.

As he approached the site of the disturbance, he noted that a pickup truck was speeding away from a high-end jewelry dealer. He folded his wings and dropped like a missile. Seconds before impact, he opened his wings and dropped behind two men in ski masks.

"My, my, my, aren't you two in a hurry to get married. Can't even wait for the damn store to open." Tommy said.

The men swung around bringing their firearms to bear on Tommy.

"Didn't your mama ever teach you not to play with guns?" Tommy said as he pointed at the guns. A thin trail of fire erupted from his finger, split in two, and melted the barrels of the weapons.

The driver of the truck noticed that something was wrong in the bed and slammed on the brakes. Tommy went flying over the roof of the truck cab and rolled to a stop ten feet in front of the truck.

Tommy groaned as he stood. "Should've seen that coming." He berated himself. He faced off with the truck with spread wings and a ball of fire in each hand. "You do NOT want to do this." He commented loudly. "The jewels will survive, you will not. Do you really want to take that chance?"

The driver responded by revving the engine.

Tommy shook his head in resignation. "Stubborn idiots. Will they never learn?"

The driver slammed on the gas and sped toward Tommy. Anyone else, cops included, would have dodged out of the way the second the truck took off, but Tommy had learned a thing or two in the six months that he had been in the superhero biz. He mentally counted to three then fired jets of flame from his hands toward the truck tires. The forward momentum of the truck barely faltered as the tires and rims melted into the pavement, causing Tommy to jump up and back. He performed a back flip and landed ten feet from the front of the stopped truck.

Five men erupted from the truck, three from the cab and the two from the bed. They warily approached Tommy, spreading out in a rough semi circle.

From the corner of Tommy's eye he noticed an outline of a man's baldhead seemingly watching from a distance. But, he did not have time to contemplate the implications of the sight as the men rushed him. Before they moved more than a few feet, they became encased in ice from the neck down.

Tommy whirled around to locate the source of the attack. He saw a group of people running toward him. Well, technically, one was hovering toward him in a gilded chair of an unknown origin. But, either way, Tommy dropped into a fighting stance as the group of four people came to a halt in front of him. Tommy immediately recognized the man in the hover-chair as the man he had seen out of the corner of his eye earlier.

The bald man extended a hand with a confident grin. "Greetings. I am Professor Charles Xavier."


	3. Chapter 3

**Standard disclaimer: only Firebat do I own**

Thanks again to MFFDC for the review. Don't worry, the answer to your question will be answered next chapter.

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Tommy stared intently at the man who had just introduced himself.

"How ya doin'?" He said evenly, not rising from his fighting stance.

"Very well, thank you." The man continued to smile as if he were conversing with an old friend. "You may relax, we are not here to harm you."

Tommy looked at the three other people accompanying Professor Xavier. To his immediate right was a tall, well tanned young man wearing a device that reminded him of a futuristic piece of equipment from a late nineties sci-fi show, the man's brown hair barely moved in the early morning breeze. To the Professor's left was an individual made of ice, and an African-American woman with white hair.

"I know you guys," Tommy said finally relaxing. "You're the X-Men. Cyclops, Iceman, Storm, and the beloved leader, Professor X. The news media is not kind to you or your group."

Professor X almost looked chagrined. "That is true. Unfortunate, but true." He looked at the, would be, thieves still encased in ice behind Tommy. "Excuse me, gentlemen, but this is a private conversation."

Tommy noticed a faint pink glow surround X's head. He turned and noticed the same pink glow around the head of each thief. After a few moments the glow subsided and X nodded to Tommy.

"You may release them now, they'll be conducting themselves to the police with their loot and confess."

Tommy turned around and gently melted the ice with a heat wave that would have registered just under actual combustion. Then, he just watched the men gather their weapons, the jewels, and saunter off down the street.

"You sure they'll comply?" Tommy asked.

"Very few can actually break my," he paused to choose his words, "suggestions, once given." He returned his attention to Tommy. "Now, then. I believe that you prefer to be called Firebat at this point, so, Firebat, would you care to join us onboard our jet for an in depth discussion as to what brings us here?"

"Considering that I have very little else to do at the moment, sure." Tommy shrugged. "This could be an interesting way to kill some time." _Until I pick up WarAngel's trail again._ He thought.

Professor X just nodded. "Yes, WarAngel. We'll both deal with her at a later time."

Tommy increased the intensity of his stare. "You just read my mind?"

"Oh, yes, my apologies, but surface thoughts are very easy to pick up even if I'm not trying. And, yes, my mutation is telepathy. And you have my assurance that I will not read your mind any further without your express permission."

"Thank you for your word," Tommy nodded. "And trust me when I say, what's in here is for no one's eyes but mine."

"I will take your word for that. Now, then, shall we?" Professor X commanded his chair to turn around and retrace their arrival path. Considering that the chair got up to a pretty good speed, Cyclops started to jog next to the chair, Iceman created his signature ice-slide and raced ahead with Storm, having summoned a minor whirlwind, flying beside him.

Tommy crouched down and pushed off into the air, flapping his powerful, leathery wings. He caught up with Professor X's chair and maintained a matching speed.

"I must confess, Professor, I am a little confused as to what brings you here." Tommy said.

Professor X chuckled. "Why you do, my boy, you do. You see, several months ago, Cerebro detected a strong mutant signature from the Bay Area. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we could not investigate at that time."

"Cerebro?"

"A highly complex computer that magnifies my, or any, telepathic ability. We use it search for mutants who might be interested in joining our school."

"I'll have to clear this with mom and dad first." Tommy was hesitant.

"They don't know, do they?" Professor X asked.

"Well, yes and no. They know that I'm a mutant, but not that I'm Firebat. Currently, they are under the impression that I'm at the library studying for an exam in American Lit."

"What about your wings?" Cyclops asked. "And your skin color?"

"As far as they know, my red pigmentation is my only mutation. They know nothing of my wings or fire control abilities. When I'm around non-mutants, I wear a couple of belts to keep my wings in place under my clothes."

"Much like Warren did when he first joined us." Professor X said. "Ah, here we are."

Tommy had noted that they were approaching Golden Gate Park, but did not see any aircraft, jet or otherwise.

Professor X touched a button on the arm of his chair, and Tommy noted a silver line shoot from the chair and terminate about fifteen yards ahead. "You may decloak, Beast."

"Why use a radio, Professor, when you have telepathy?" Tommy asked.

"For your convenience, Firebat. It's not always polite to communicate when others are not aware."

"But I would have been aware." Tommy said landing next to him. "I can see things that most others cannot. For example, did you know that when you use your telepathy, you get a pink glow around your head?"

Professor X was taken aback. "No I was not aware of that. Can you hear telepathy as well?"

"No. Maybe. I don't know." Tommy sounded frustrated. "Most of the time I can't, but on occasion," he shrugged. "It almost feels like a tsunami trying to crush my sanity."

"Hmm." Professor X nodded thoughtfully.

The space before them shimmered and a black jet appeared with its loading ramp lowered. Tommy took a step toward the jet, but stopped when he noticed a figure descending from the interior of the craft. The figure was about six foot in height, completely covered in blue fur and bore the facial features of a cat.

"Hank, this is Firebat. He's agreed to hear out our offer." Professor X said as he moved toward the boarding ramp.

"Greetings and salutations, Firebat."

"Ciao, Signor Beast."

"Amperora, parlate la lingua classica." Beast smiled. "Someone with class with which to converse those long and dreary days between missions."

"I have a slight inclination for languages. Italian happens to be one of my favorites." Tommy shrugged.

Beast turned toward Professor X.

"Professor, I suggest we make haste. With Magneto and his Acolytes still at large, I am hesitant to leave such a slim skeleton crew at the Mansion."

Tommy couldn't help himself. "Aren't skeletons supposed to be slim?" He deadpanned. "I mean, who ever heard of a _fat_ skeleton?"

Beast chuckled. "My friend, you haven't lived…" he said escorting Tommy into the jet.

After everyone got strapped in, except Storm who was flying ahead, the jet took off and began its eastward journey.

After the jet had achieved its cruising altitude, everyone, except Beast, turned to face Tommy.

"So, Firebat, how did you discover that you could be, well, what you are?" Cyclops asked. "If I'm not prying too much."

"Not at all. I've been dying to tell this to someone. Just couldn't find the right people. You know, someone who would understand."


	4. Chapter 4

"I was born in 1988." Tommy began. "And, like Nightcrawler being born blue, I was born red with yellow eyes. The fact that I was born with no hair, well, that's not all that unusual." He removed his seat belt and leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees. "I never knew who my real parents were. From what I understand, as soon as they saw me, they dumped me at the hospital. My first real memories were of Patty and John Fitzpatrick, my adopted mom and dad.

"For years I was home schooled, because Mom was afraid of how other kids would treat me. Then, when I was 10, the love of my life moved in next door. Her name was, is, Amanda. African-American by ethnicity, but, obviously, that doesn't matter to me. We were inseparable. Play dates, birthday parties, sleepovers, you name it." Tommy paused to form fireballs in his hands and started to juggle them. "Well, as you'd might expect, things got pretty serious between us as we got older. We'd gone on several dates and we were falling deeper in love with each other. Seven months ago, I decided to pop the question. I knew there was no one else in this world that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, and, I believed that, she felt the same."

"What changed?" Professor X asked. Tommy really appreciated that Professor X did not just lift the answer from his brain.

"Six months ago, we went to the movies. That was the night that I had planned to ask her. As we left the movie, we were attacked by a bunch of white supremists called Purifying Rain. Surprisingly they didn't attack me. I thought being a mutant, I'd be right up there at the top of the hit list, but they ignored me. They immediately began to harass Amanda. The next few minutes were a blur, but I remember every detail vividly. My body was racked with the most unimaginable pain ever. Pain that was only matched by my anger. I felt my blood start to boil, literally. Next thing I knew I was covered in black flames, and had leathery bat-like wings sprouting from my back. A couple minutes later, the Purifying Rain goons were done. Second and third degree burns covered their bodies where I had hit them, faces, stomachs, backs. It wasn't pretty. Just as I was about to check on Amanda, I was picked up from behind and carried about ten-fifteen feet into the air, where I promptly had the crap kicked out of me. I barely escaped with my life. That was my first meeting with WarAngel. And, to date, last. But I will hunt her down."

"And Amanda?" Cyclops asked.

"Well, let's just say that she wasn't as open minded as I had thought. As soon as I took on my current form, she hit the bricks. She ran away from home that night and I haven't seen her since. So that's two I owe WarAngel."

"You cannot hold WarAngel accountable for Amanda's actions." Professor X said.

"I don't intend to hold her accountable for Amanda's actions. I intend to hold her accountable for the attack. If she hadn't attacked, I wouldn't have grown wings or developed the ability to generate and control fire. If I hadn't grown wings or developed the ability to generate and control fire, Amanda would be by my side today and we'd be planning a wedding and a family."

Beast flicked a couple of switches then called over his shoulder, "Where to, Professor? Back to the Mansion or should we stop along the way?"

Before he could respond, the Professor gasped and clapped his hands to his head so hard it sounded like a high-five.

"Professor, what is it?" Iceman asked.

"Hold up a sec, Iceman." Tommy said. "The Prof is getting hit with something mentally." Surrounding the Professor's head was a white glow that reminded Tommy of a child's drawing of the sun. He saw beads of sweat break out all over his head. "And it looks like a doozey."

After several minutes, the glow faded and the Professor looked up at the concerned expressions of the four young people around him. "Beast? Who's flying the plane?"

"Autopilot." Beast said simply.

"Ah, we need to return to the Mansion as quickly as possible." He looked at Tommy. "Now, what to do about you."

"What to do about me?" Tommy was almost stunned. "You're the one who invited me along on this little field trip." He sat back in his chair. "And judging by the whammy you just took, you'll need my help."

"Very well," he turned back to Beast. "While we need to return to the mansion, we do need to make a stop along the way." His customary pink glow flared up for a second. "But we do need to hurry, our next appointment is in danger of being cancelled."

"Compreso, Professore." Beast resumed his position in the pilot's seat and disengaged the autopilot. "Where to, Professor?"

"Northeastern corner of Tennessee."

"Up by Johnson City?" Tommy asked.

"Actually, about twenty miles north of Mountain City." Professor X said.

"But, Professor, that's wilderness. There may not be a place to land the plane."

"Not to worry. You and Storm fly down, Iceman slides down, and Scott can go with one of the three of you." Professor X explained. He rested his elbows on the front of the hover-chair and pressed his fingers together. "How long has it been since you've been in Tennessee?"

Tommy shrugged. "I've never been."

Professor X cocked an eyebrow. "Never? Then how do you know the topography of our destination?"

"I glanced at a map a couple of weeks ago when I was considering relocating."

"Photographic memory?"

Again Tommy shrugged. "Actually, I believe the appropriate phraseology is eidetic memory."

Professor X nodded. "That could come in handy."

Tommy nodded as well. "So, is this an invite to join your merry little band?"

Cyclops nodded. "We were hoping that you'd consider joining the school, but since you seem to have a handle on your powers, maybe we should just jump straight to team membership." He looked at Professor X for confirmation.

Professor X grinned slightly. "Not a bad idea, but we would still need to work with you on developing your powers further."

"Not to mention that I would enjoy conversing with some who is apparently as intelligent as I. Perchance you would assist me in some experiments that I am conducting currently?" Beast said from the pilot's seat.

Tommy nodded thoughtfully. "I don't see a problem with that." He caught Professor X's eye and tapped the side of his head. _If I join your 'team' or 'school' or whatever you want to call it, can I spend time with Storm?_

Professor X glanced at the dark skinned 'Weather Witch' through the front windscreen. _That is entirely up to her. Be forewarned, it is difficult to obtain her trust, and even harder to break it._

Tommy nodded. _Understood._ He looked over at Iceman. "Sorry, Iceman, I hope we haven't been ignoring you."

He shook his head. "Not at all. I'm just wondering how we're going to get along. You being fire and me being ice."

Tommy grinned. "I don't believe that we'll have any problems." He glanced at Cyclops sitting in a chair a few rows up.

Cyclops was letting his mind wander over the past few weeks, since he and Jean had gotten married. He still couldn't believe his luck. Here he was, while not super hunk material, he was an okay looking guy, and he had landed the hottest woman in the known world. _Speaking of hot…_ He let out a yelp as he grabbed his smoldering boot. He spun around and stared at Tommy.

"What?" Tommy asked innocently. Cyclops tried to ignore Iceman's poorly covered giggling.

He looked at Iceman and then back to Tommy. "You'll fit right in."

"Approaching our destination, Professor." Beast announced.

"Please put your stewardess' and trays back to their upright position and thank you for flying MutieAir." Iceman and Tommy said at the same time.

Cyclops shook his head and walked back to the hatch. "Depressurizing." He noted Beast tightening his straps and the Professor hitting a button that magnetically secured his chair to the cabin floor.

Storm allowed the jet to pass her and prepared to counter the depressurization with her mutant powers. Behind Cyclops, Tommy stood with Iceman. Cyclops was disconcerted that they were whispering and acting like conspirators. He turned his attention to the task at hand. "Storm, I'll go down with you," he stated over his communicator. "Iceman, Firebat, you'll manage to not get yourselves killed?"

"We'll do our damnedest, Boss." Iceman said.


	5. Chapter 5

In the hills of Northeastern Tennessee, a scene from a Fifties horror picture was being played out. A group of men, dressed on coveralls and straw hats stormed through the forest carrying flashlights and waving pitchforks.

"Thar's a witch in them woods!" One yelled. "Are we gonna let her git our kids? Are we gonna let her curse our homes? Are we gonna let her tell us when and where and what to hunt?"

After each question, the group responded with a resounding "NO!"

"Then let's git her!" The man played his light over an area of about ten feet looking for some evidence of the woman they were chasing. Up in the trees, a pair of emerald eyes watched with amusement as the men stumbled through the semi-darkness of the forest floor.

_Patience, Baku, patience._ A woman's voice echoed in the creature's head. _You will have your chance._

As the men approached the base of the tree Baku was hiding in, a sudden wind blew in and swirled around the men, trapping them within a vortex.

Baku looked around and, finally, his eyes came to a rest on a group of people dropping from the sky. _Not dropping_, the woman's voice came again, _flying!_ The awe in the woman's voice was very noticeable to the black panther. The four beings came to a rest on the ground surrounding the men.

"Is there a problem, gentlemen?" One asked. Baku studied the man, he had fair complexion with a strange device covering his eyes. His brown hair moved in the wind, but he wasn't concerned.

"Thar's a witch in them thar woods." One man said.

"Yeah, and I'm the devil." Another of the newcomers said as he spread a pair of bat-like wings and let fire culminate in the palm of each hand.

The men took one look at him and they dropped their torches and pitchforks. "SATAN!" They all yelled at once.

"Oh, come on!" The man with bat-wings said. "If I was the devil, I'd be demanding your eternal souls for sparing your pathetic lives. Since I've not done that, that should say something, ya ignorant hicks."

"I'd suggest you run." A third man said. Baku noticed that the man appeared to be made entirely of ice.

The fourth member of the newcomers was an African-American woman, her eyes shone pure white in the night, but, as the wind died down, they returned to normal.

There was a moment of silence, then the group of men turned tail and ran.

After they were gone, the four people came together in the middle of the clearing. Thanks to Baku's sensitive ears, she was able to overhear what they were saying.

"The Professor said that she was around here somewhere." Said the man with the monocle visor.

_They're after you, Beloved._ Baku sent to her unseen mistress.

_I noticed._ The woman sounded slightly concerned. _Let's see what their intentions are, follow them so that I may observe them._

Without a sound, the panther dropped from her perch to the next branch down.

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"Hold on, Cyke." Tommy said holding up his hand. He had glimpsed a movement off to his right and was watching the area very closely.

"What?" Cyclops asked also watching the area.

"We're not alone. Storm, be ready to douse my flames, I'm gonna put a little light on the subject."

Storm nodded, letting her eyes go white.

Tommy turned back to the others, then without warning threw his left hand up and released a fireball straight up. When the fireball reached a spot above the treetops it exploded and lit the area up like a flare. There, on the edge of the clearing was a black panther and a woman dressed in skins and furs, but her most noticeable feature was what she wore as a hood. It was a lion's head treated in such a way that its teeth and jaws surrounded her head. She was carrying a modern crossbow and strapped across her right hip was a quiver of crossbow bolts.

"Let's get it." Cyke said.

"Hold on." Tommy said. "Chasing them won't be necessary. If they'd wanted to run, they would have by now." He glanced at Cyke, then back to the duo.

"What are you talking about, Firebat?" Cyke asked. "There's no one but the panther standing there."

Realization dawned on Tommy. "We're not here to hurt you." He called out to the panther.

"What are you doing?" Iceman said.

"Iceman, wait." Storm said.

"We represent a school called Xavier's School for the Gifted." Tommy continued. "We're here to help you." He motioned to the group. "I'm called Firebat, this is Iceman, Storm, and Cyclops." Each of them nodded as Tommy introduced them.

"I am called Naturess." A woman's voice said from behind them.

They spun and, there on the opposite side of the clearing was the woman Tommy had seen before.

"I protect these woods from vandals and poachers."

"Which is why those men were coming after you." Tommy deduced. "Let me guess, these are government lands and hunting here is prohibited."

"Actually, no. But there are those who hunt for food, and those who hunt for fun. Those monsters that you chased off were the latter."

"We'd like to extend an invitation to you to join our school." Cyclops said.

"You are the one called Xavier?"

"No, he's our professor, he's in the jet." Cyclops pointed to the sky, "Up there."

She looked and saw a black jet swoop in and start hovering above the treetops.

"May my friend, Baku, accompany us?"

Cyclops looked at the big cat. Tommy could tell he was having reservations.

"Will he behave himself?" Storm asked.

Tommy saw a spectral head of the woman appear next to the great cat's head.

"SHE shall maintain her discipline." She said. "As long as no harm comes to either of us." She added.

"Then, by all means, let's get going." Tommy said looking around nervously.

"Getting scared?" Iceman teased.

"Only of starting a forest fire, Mr. Frostbite." Tommy said with a smile. "Now how do we get the big cat," Baku growled, "I mean, Baku, up to the jet."

Cyclops touched the X on his chest. "Beast, I need you to lower the cargo net."

"Affirmative," Beast's cultured voice came through the tiny speaker.

Tommy watched as a cargo net was lowered from an open hatch. When it came to a rest on the ground, Baku stepped onto it gingerly and stretched out. Naturess sat down next to her, stroking her fur as if soothing her.

After the net started to rise, Storm took Cyclops' hands and took off in a gust of wind, Iceman created a staircase made of ice and began climbing, and Tommy flapped his wings and soared toward the jet. He hovered just outside the open hatch until everyone else was aboard. Only afterwards did he step onto the lowered hatch.

"All aboard, Beast." Tommy called out as he hit the button to raise the hatch.

"Acknowledged, Friend Firebat." Tommy felt the jet start to rise and move forward. He walked forward and sat next to Iceman, who had claimed a seat facing the newest addition, Naturess.

"So, tell us a little about yourself, Naturess." Professor X said.

"What's to tell?" She asked. She removed the lion's head hood and set it on the chair next to her. "I found that I was a freak when I turned fifteen, I've been on the run ever since."

Tommy opened his mouth to ask a question when he noticed that a pink glow had surrounded the Professor's head. At the same time a spectral copy of the black cat appeared in front of Naturess.

Without warning, she stood, pulled her crossbow up and fired at Professor X. Being closer than anyone else, Tommy jumped up and, without hesitation (and without thinking) reached out and snatched the dart from midair. He stared at Naturess and let the dart become incinerated in his hand.

"That, lady, was a mistake." He pointed at her with his, still burning, hand.

"Firebat, it's okay." Professor X said. "I apologize, Naturess, I was merely curious about your companion. I should have asked permission first."

Tommy lowered his hand. "Yes, you should have." Naturess replied, not taking her eyes off of Tommy. Tommy took his seat and stared at Naturess. She finally resumed her previous position.

"What did you find out, Professor?" Tommy asked, turning his attention to the bald man.

"The black cat's not what she appears." Was the professor's cryptic reply.

Tommy just looked at him.

Professor X just shrugged. "That's all I can say for the moment."


	6. Chapter 6

The flight was filled with silence from that point on, even though Tommy kept a real close eye on Naturess. After their initial confrontation, she'd divulged that she can speak with animals and can merge with any living tree. But now, everyone was sharing the silence companionably, Iceman was telling Tommy about some of his more infamous pranks, and Tommy was taking mental notes, mainly to keep an eye on Iceman in the future.

After an hour of flight time, the jet swooped in low over a basketball court, which, Tommy was amazed to see, slid back to reveal a hanger underneath.

"We have come to the conclusion of our journey, my friends," Beast said as he settled the jet down into the hanger and shut down the engines.

A set of doors leading out of the hanger slid open as the jet's entry ramp was lowered.

Tommy, being first off looked around in wonderment. He'd never seen the inside of a hanger, let alone one this advanced. The X-Men and Naturess joined him on the hanger floor. Tommy noted that Baku followed Naturess closely.

An animalistic growl caught Tommy's attention and he was barely able to avoid an attack by a man wearing three claws on each hand. _No, not wearing_, Tommy corrected. _Penetrating his skin._

"What are you doing back here?" The man growled as he pressed his attack.

"What are you talking about?" Tommy asked as he spread his wings and flew into the air. "I've never been here."

"Logan!" Professor X's voice boomed throughout the hanger. Tommy could tell that he'd augmented the word with a dash of telepathy. The man with the claws stopped.

"This is not who you think it is, Professor." Logan said, not taking his eyes off of Tommy.

"I think that if Firebat was attempting to deceive us, I'd have picked up on it by now."

"I'm watching you." Logan said to Tommy as the claws slid back into his skin.

"Who was that?" Tommy asked Iceman as he landed back on the floor.

"Our resident berserker." Iceman said as he de-iced. He motioned Tommy forward. "C'mon, I'll show you around."

They followed the others out of the hanger. "Over here," Iceman said as they left the hanger, "is Beast's lab. Right over here is the medical bay."

Tommy looked around at the sterile walls and the rows of fluorescent lights that ran along the tops and bottoms of the walls. "Where are we?"

"We are underneath my school." Professor Xavier answered as he approached a large round door. "Bobby will show you around the upper levels." He said dismissively.

Bobby, Tommy learned, was Iceman's real name.

"Right this way, lady, gentleman, and cat." He motioned to a tubular structure. It slid open and Tommy noted that it was an elevator. They all stepped in, the cat included, and Bobby touched a button on the touch pad and the elevator rose smoothly and quietly.

The elevator door opened and the group was deposited into a hallway that more resembled the interior of a mansion instead of a school. Rich oak panels lined the walls and the floors were hardwood. Wooden benches were set at intervals along both sides of the halls and generally next to doors.

"Right now, classes are in session." Bobby said, quietly. He motioned toward a door on their right. They peeked in and Tommy saw a stunning redhead writing on a chalkboard. He noticed a faint white glow surround her head for a second. Before he could say anything, however…

"Please, Bobby, bring in your friends and introduce them." She said without looking away from the chalkboard. The five teens sitting at wooden desks behind her, turned and looked at the door.

Bobby walked into the room. "Hiya, Jean." He said. "C'mon in, guys." He waved Tommy, Naturess, and Baku into the room. "Jean Grey, this is Firebat, Naturess, and the big, black kitty is Baku."

Baku growled deep in her throat. Naturess giggled as she stroked the big cat's head.

"Behave Baku, I think he was trying to be playful." She said. A spectral copy of Baku's head appeared in front of her. "Now, now, Baku." Naturess scolded. "Play nice."

Tommy grinned and shook his head. "Pleased to meet you Ms. Grey." He stuck his hand out and withdrew his flames back to his elbow.

"Firebat." Jean shook his hand and looked toward Naturess. She extended her hand towards the cowled woman. "Naturess."

Naturess hesitated slightly as she took the redhead's hand. The two women shook hands, and Jean turned her attention to the cat.

"Baku." Jean stretched her hand out to let the cat sniff her.

Baku stretched her head out and sniffed the offered fingers. Then she licked the palm of Jean's hand. A brief flash of pink emanated from that point of contact, but disappeared even as Tommy opened his mouth.

"I wouldn't do that, Ms. Grey. Professor X did that in the jet and we almost had an incident." Tommy said with a chuckle.

Jean grinned. "Thanks for the warning, I won't do that again." She looked at her class. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my students."

Tommy, Naturess, and Baku followed Bobby out of the classroom. As the others walked down the hall, Tommy stayed behind and looked at Jean. He saw the spectral head of Professor X floating in front of her. He hurried to catch up to the others as the bell rang. He heard Jean's voice through the, now open, classroom door. "Don't forget your research papers that are due next week."

"Let's head upstairs where the quarters are located…" Bobby was saying as he headed up a set of stairs.

"What about the dollars?" Tommy asked. "Where are they located? And the dimes and nickels? Don't they get lonely by themselves?"

Bobby stopped halfway up, looked at Tommy and just shuck his head. "Boy, you are a wise ass, ain't ya?" He laughed. He resumed heading up the stairs. "We're going to have fun, me and you."

Naturess looked at Tommy and just shook her head. Tommy displayed an innocent look. "What? No sense of humor?" Baku padded past Tommy and Tommy jumped when he felt the big cat's tail rub his upper thigh.

Tommy realized that the flames on his leg where the cat's tail came in contact with him had doused. He shivered dramatically. "Brrr. Is it cold in here, or is it just you?" He said as he followed the group up the rest of the stairs.

"The sleeping quarters are split up. The women down to the left and the men over her to the left." Bobby said. "If you'll follow me, I'll show you to the rooms that you are more than welcome to use." He started off to the left and as they walked down the corridor, Tommy couldn't help but notice the decorations of some of the rooms they passed.

He noticed that one room was wall papered in pink. He paused long enough to see a canopied bed in the center of one wall and flowers from a magnolia tree in vases and glass bowls around the room.

"That's Rogue's room." Bobby's voice said from behind him. Tommy jumped slightly and spun around.

"I wasn't snooping." He said.

Bobby held up his hands. "Chill, 'Bat. I was just coming to check on you, thought I'd lost you some where." Tommy followed Bobby down the hall. "Over here's Storms room, Jean's room, well, what used to be Jean's room until she married Cyclops and they moved into a little cottage down by the lake. But that's where, Naturess and Baku will be staying."

He turned around and led the way over to the men's rooms. "Here's Logan's room, my room, Beast's, Colossus', Nightcrawler's, and what used to be Cyke's, but it's yours for as long as you need it." He opened the door to the last room and Tommy stepped inside.

"Neat, clean, Spartan," Tommy looked at Bobby. "I gotta change this."

"Change it later, I wanna show you guys a couple more things." Bobby headed back toward the stairs. "Besides, I got plenty of posters I can hook you up with." He opened the door to his room and Tommy saw that the walls were covered with posters of bikini-clad women.

Tommy nodded. "Works for me." He followed Bobby back down stairs where Naturess and Baku were waiting.

"If you will follow me," Bobby said in his best tour guide voice. "I'll show you the crown jewel of the X-Men's facilities." He pressed a concealed button and a wooden panel slid aside to reveal the elevator that they had used to get to the main part of the mansion. He stepped in and was followed by Baku, Naturess, and Tommy. After all were loaded inside, Bobby pressed another button and the elevator descended as quickly and as quietly as it had ascended. Tommy's brain was doing over time to assimilate all the info that he'd been given in the last few hours.

The doors slid open and Tommy stepped out, probably a little bit quicker than he'd intended. That cat was starting to creep him out a little. Right after they had started descending Tommy had felt Baku's tail rub up against him again. This time across his ass. He watched the cat wearily as Bobby led them down the hi-tech hall. As they approached a large circular door, it slid open and Bobby almost collided with a tall, gangly man.

"Sorry 'bout day, Bobby." The man said in a heavily accented voice. "Dat Logan, he's got some issues to work out."

"Well, we were going to the control room anyway, Gambit." Bobby turned toward Naturess and Tommy. "This is Naturess, her friend Baku, and Firebat."

"Firebat, huh?" Gambit asked. "So you're de one dat got ol' Logan worked up?" He smiled. "Well, I got to t'ank you, mon ami. When he's worked up like dis, I got one hell of a work out, no?" He extended his hand.

"Cajun, right?" Tommy asked as he accepted the handshake.

"Oui," Gambit seemed a bit astonished. "How did you know? Most people assume French."

"Most people forgot that the U.S. purchased Louisiana from the French back in 1803. Besides, the French are too conceited, they'd never mix their own language in with American during a normal conversation." He looked toward the, now closed, doors. "So he's really worked up huh?"

"Oh, oui. Dat man…" Gambit shook his head. "I'd leave him alone if I were you. Until he calms down a little, dat is."

Tommy smiled. "Thanks for the advice." He turned and followed Bobby in through a normal looking door set in the wall about a dozen feet away from the circular one Gambit had used. Tommy was at once impressed with the level of technology present in the room, and, at the same time, the level of technology present in the larger room that they were overlooking through glass.

Tommy looked through the windows and saw a heavy jungle. And walking through the trees was a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

"Holy…" Tommy exclaimed, a fireball materializing in his right hand.

"Don't worry about it, 'Bat." Bobby said. "It's all holographic."

"Where did you get this level of technology?" Tommy asked. "I happen to know that this is more advanced than anything in use in the private sectors. Maybe governmental, but nothing private."

Bobby smiled. "Let's just say that we've got some out of town friends high up in the food chain."

Tommy extinguished the fireball and leaned in close to the glass. Down on the jungle floor, he saw Logan tearing up a couple velociraptors. It was apparent that he did not see the T-Rex.

"Just out of curiosity, Bobby," Tommy said. "How does one go from down there to up here? Through the outside corridor? Or is there a connector from this room to down there?"

Bobby pointed to a room off to one side. "Through there." He watched as Tommy headed in that direction. "Don't forget what Gambit said."

Tommy looked over his shoulder at Bobby. "Good thing he's not me, huh?" He found a small elevator that was nothing more than a platform and stood on it. It lowered him through the floor, but not before he heard Naturess say, "I'm going back up stairs. The last thing I want to see is macho male posturing and the beating of chests."

The steamy humidity of the jungle hit Tommy like a fist. At first he was hesitant about using his powers. He thought that maybe the humidity was too high. But, he tried anyway. _After all_, he reasoned, _there may come a time when I'll be in this type of environment._ He spread his wings and flew into the air.

He followed the sounds of Logan fighting the 'Raptors and hovered. He was waiting for the T-Rex to show up. Even though the dinosaur was huge, the foliage was even larger and hid it very well. A roar sounded real close, and Logan spun to face the new threat.

The T-Rex charged through the trees, apparently drawn by the scent of blood, and before Logan could act, Tommy dove down and threw fireballs into the dino's face.

"What the hell are you doing?" Logan roared up at him.

"Proving that I'm not who you think I am." Tommy replied as he threw fireball after fireball at the dinosaur.

"Kid, you have no idea who I think you are." Logan said as he charged the T-Rex.

The T-Rex thrashed its head back and forth and caught Tommy off guard while he was watching Logan tear into the dino's gut with his claws. Tommy was sent flying into the trees. He was thankful that the branches broke his fall, but he knew he would feel every bump and bruise in the morning.

Suddenly, the huge dino fell and Logan walked up to Tommy as he was pulling himself up to an upright position.

Tommy looked over at Logan with a grin. Before he could say anything, however, Logan punched him in the face.

"That's for interrupting me." Logan said. "Do it again, and I'll use the claws."

Tommy looked up at Logan and held the back of his fist to his lower lip. He looked at it and saw blood. Fire flared around Tommy and he blasted fire from both hands. He was slightly pleased to see both jets of flame hit Logan full in the chest. Logan fell back. Tommy stood and faced the shorter man.

"That was a cheap shot, Logan." Tommy said. "You want to go again?"

Logan faced Tommy and popped his claws. "Bring it, Junior."


	7. Chapter 7

Tommy felt his rage hit the boiling point. Here was a man, five foot nothing, who'd damn near skewered him five minutes after he got off the plane, and then he had sucker punched him after he had come to help him out. He let out a primal yell, like the type that he, personally, had never heard before, let alone from himself. He ran toward Logan, throwing fireball after fireball.

Logan ducked out of the way and ran into Tommy. Tommy had to give the little man credit, he was quick. Tommy had to fly up in the air about eight feet to keep out of reach of the claws. He landed behind Logan and launched several punches and kicks at the smaller man. Logan blocked them all and even found an opening and delivered an upper cut that rattled Tommy's teeth, fortunately he'd retracted his claws.

As Tommy picked himself up off the ground, he noticed smoke coming off of Logan's arms from where he'd blocked all of Tommy's attacks. Then, as he watched, the smoke dissipated and charred pieces of skin fell off to reveal fresh, whole skin underneath.

"Care to tell me why you don't like me?" Tommy asked as he prepared for another assault.

"You know damn well why," Logan said through grit teeth. "I thought when you left the last time that it _was_ the last time."

Again Tommy was dumbstruck. "How many times do I have to tell you, that I am not who you think I am? I've never been here before, I've never even been outside San Francisco before."

Before Logan could make a move, Bobby's voice echoed through the air. "Come on up, boys, we got a situation."

Logan pointed a set of claws at Tommy. "We're not done, kid." He retracted his claws and headed toward the concealed elevator.

"I'm counting on it." Tommy said following him as the jungle shimmered and disappeared.

Up in the control room, Tommy noticed that Bobby was alone. "Where's Naturess' creepy cat?" He asked.

"Well, Naturess said something about macho male posturing and then left," Bobby said. "Her cat, though," he shook his head. "I'll agree she's creepy."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, she watched you two for a bit, then left as well."

Tommy shrugged. "Okay?"

"Well, the creepy thing is, I'd swear she was smiling as she walked out the door."

Tommy shuddered. "There's something off about that cat." He said as he followed Bobby and Logan through the door. He quickly recounted the two times that cat seemingly stroked him with her tail.

"That's not right," Bobby said, a grimace on his face.

While Logan and Tommy were squaring off, Baku was walking down the corridor, following a scent that was familiar to her. The scent trail led her to the medical bay, which is where she found who she was looking for.

"Hello, again." Jean said to the black cat without turning around. "It's been a long time." She set down the medical chart that she had been studying and faced Baku.

Baku sat back on her haunches, tail wrapped around her forepaws.

Jean held up a hand. "Don't bother trying to explain, anything. You have your reasons." She looked into the cat's eyes. "But you really should at least tell him you're here again, so he'll let off Firebat."

Baku gave an almost human chuckle. Jean just looked at her. "I'm serious, Baku. Why Baku?" She looked momentarily confused, then waved her hand as if to ward off the answer. "Never mind. You know the damage he could inflict. Hell, he could kill the poor boy."

Baku growled ever so slightly.

"Oh, you like this guy, huh?" Jean smiled. "Never thought I'd get _that_ kind of reaction out of you." Jean stopped and her eyes glazed over. After a few minutes, Jean regained focus and she looked at Baku. "The Professor needs us in the War Room." She walked out of the room without making sure that Baku was behind her.

Logan, Bobby and Tommy walked into the War Room, just as Jean, Naturess and Baku were getting comfortable. Across the room, opposite the door, Professor X was reviewing information on a computer monitor. As the three men situated themselves around the room, the Professor turned in his hover chair to face the group.

"I'll bring you up to speed while Storm and Beast prep the jet." He touched a button on the left arm of his chair. Immediately, a holographic representation of the northeast portion of Tennessee was displayed above the table situated in the middle of the room. "There have been reports of a strange 'wild man' terrorizing the small villages and communities in the area where we picked up Naturess." A small, red, blinking dot marked the spot in question.

"Any read from Cerebro on the nature of this 'wild man'?" Cyclops asked.

"I haven't attempted to use Cerebro since we've returned. I still have a headache from that mental backlash I suffered while on the jet."

"Understood." Cyclops said. To the rest of the group, he said, "Ok, Team, let's go check it out." Everyone filed out of the room leaving Logan, Professor X, Jean and Scott behind.

"Does that Firebat kid gotta go?" Logan asked, contempt dripping from every word.

The Professor smirked slightly. "You don't like, or trust, him do you?"

"That obvious, huh?" Logan grit his teeth.

"Well, I _am_ psychic, you know." The Professor's smirk spread into a full smile as he remembered a long ago conversation with Cyclops.

"He's _not_ who you think he is." Logan stated again. He tapped his nose. "I've never been wrong before."

"First time for everything," Cyclops said under his breath. Wolverine popped his claws and turned on him.

"What was that?"

Cyclops didn't even blink. _Not that anyone would've noticed if her did_. Jean thought.

"I said, 'First time for everything.' Listen, yes, he is going. With Jean staying here to keep an eye on things, we're going to need Hank to pilot the jet. That'll leave Storm, Naturess, Baku, Firebat, Iceman, you and me to investigate." He exhaled sharply. Never before in his career as the field commander of the X-Men has he ever had his decisions questioned as much. "Which means that _with_ Firebat, we have two people to cover the air and two people to cover the ground."

"I prefer to work alone." Logan said retracting his claws.

"I know. But, as a member of the X-Men, you'd better learn how to work as part of a team."

Logan grumbled and stalked out of the room. Cyclops shook his head and looked at the Professor.

"Are you sure that Firebat is on the up and up?" He asked. "Logan's right, he's never been wrong before."

"Absolutely positive." Professor X nodded. "If he was anything other than what he appeared, I'd have sensed it before our first contact."

This seemed to appease Scott as he nodded and followed Logan through the door.

Naturess looked through the open hatch at the treetops of Eastern Tennessee. Hard to imagine that it had only been several hours since she had left the area. She shook her head and returned her attention to Cyclops, who was, for lack of a better phrase, handing out assignments.

"Storm, Naturess, Baku and I will circle around north-northeast, Wolverine, Firebat and Iceman will go north-northwest." He looked around at the group. "Any questions?" Everyone shook their heads. "Good. Let's go."

Naturess turned back toward the hatch. "Need a lift?" Storm, still dressed in her silvery costume, asked from beside her. Naturess studied the treetops. "Nope," she said as she stepped out and merged with a passing treetop. Baku dropped out and disappeared in the foliage. Storm shook her head and took off with Cyclops, still dressed in his blue costume, hanging from her hands.

Logan, now dressed in his blue and yellow costume, didn't hesitate as he followed Baku out the hatch, Tommy could hear branches snap under the weight of the X-Man.

"That man has no fear, does he?" He asked Bobby.

"Would you, if you could heal almost any injury?" Bobby replied as he jumped out over a clearing. Tommy watched as he formed an ice pole to control his descent. Tommy spread his wings and leapt out.

On the ground, Tommy noticed Logan crouched down on all fours sniffing the air in all directions.

"Who ever it is, went this way." Logan said running through the woods. Bobby ran behind him and Tommy took off to follow in the air.

For the next ten-fifteen minutes, all was quiet on the ground. The only thing that kept Tommy focused on the mission was the fact that he swept down when ever he could to check on Logan's tracking progress. When they got to where Naturess and her group had disembarked, Logan had stopped and was concentrating on the many scents in the air.

"There's o whole lot of smells here." He said to Bobby and Tommy. "And I know them all." He sniffed. "Storm," sniff, "Cyke," sniff, "Naturess," sniff, "our wild man," sniff, "and," his eyes went wide as he turned to look at Tommy. "Kid, if I'm right, I owe you an apology and a beer when we get done here." He then took off at full speed through the undergrowth.

Bobby turned to look at Tommy. "Damn, I've known him longer, and he hasn't even hinted that he'd buy me a beer."

Tommy shrugged. "Wonder what he'll do when he finds out I don't drink?" He asked as he took off into the air.

Up ahead, he saw Storm flying in circles, directing lightning to strike the ground. He flew back down and scooped Bobby up. "I know where the action is." He said.

On the ground, Logan found the action all on his own. As he approached the clearing, he was surprised to see that he was right next to Baku. Baku turned her head and growled a short growl.

"Yeah, I don't like you either." Logan said, without thinking. Baku then turned her head back toward the clearing and growled long and low. "I agree, cat. That's one bad ass bastard up there."

As if on cue, a tall, heavily muscled blonde haired man came into view, dodging lightning strikes.

"Sabertooth." Logan growled as he popped his claws.

Naturess stepped from a tree to Logan's right and fired off a couple of arrows. They hit him in the chest. He roared and pulled them out.

"You shouldn't oughta done that, lady." Logan said. "That'll only piss him off." His warning came too late. Sabertooth charged Naturess and picked her up. He turned and tossed her away from him like a rag doll. Baku roared and charged the big man.

Sabertooth turned to face this new threat and smiled. "Finally. I've been looking for you, kitty-Kat." He roared. He reached his hands out with the intention of grappling Baku, but several fireballs from above stuck him on the head and around his feet. He raised his arms to ward off the attack, and left himself wide open for Baku's charge.

Baku impacted with his stomach and sent him rolling backwards for several dozen feet.

Naturess was back on her feet and fired several more arrows at him. Again, they impacted his chest. He just grunted, pulled them free and stood. Before, Naturess could merge back into the trees, Sabertooth had her neck in his right hand. He pulled her face close to his.

"So you're the one who's been protecting her." He growled as his hands started to tighten. "Damn shame, you didn't do too good a job."

Fireballs continued to rain down on him, but he ignored them for the most part. Which is exactly what Tommy wanted. After he dropped Bobby onto the ground, he hovered about ten feet above Bobby and formed a large fireball between his two hands. After it was large enough, roughly twice the size of a basketball, he threw it at Sabertooth.

He cheered when it hit him, sending him through the air over a dozen yards where he hit a tree and knocking it over. Tommy landed next to Naturess, who'd been dropped a few feet from where Sabertooth had been hit. "You ok?" He asked, as he helped her stand.

"I'm fine. Where's Baku?"

Tommy looked around. "Over by Logan." He replied pointing across the clearing.

Naturess turned and looked. "Good, she's fine." She started running across the clearing toward Baku.

A roar, louder than anything Tommy had ever heard, drew his attention back to Sabertooth. Before he had the chance to act, Sabertooth had both hands around his throat. No matter how much fire Tommy could generate, Sabertooth would not stop squeezing. A couple of arrows seemed to sprout, as if by magic, from his back. Sabertooth roared again, turned and used Tommy like a flaming javelin. Tommy, weakened from the death grip Sabertooth had had on him, couldn't control his flight. And watched in horror as he hit Naturess. His velocity was such that he had actually picked her up and carried her into the woods. He felt her spine snap when they hit a tree. The tree also snapped and fell on top of them. Off in the distance, Tommy heard a combination of feral scream and a woman's voice shouting the word no. Then he blacked out.

Baku was full of rage. More so now than she'd ever been before. She looked from where Firebat lay under a slowly smoldering tree back to Sabertooth. She transformed from panther to a half-human half-panther form.

"You bastard!" She growled. As she started toward him, she heard, and smelled, Logan coming from behind her. She lashed out with her tail and caught him in his midsection. The force of the impact knocked Logan back several yards and into the surrounding woods.

Sabertooth chuckled. "Taking out your own godfather? Now that's priceless!"

Baku charged him, but he was ready. Before she could sink her formidable teeth into his jugular, he caught her with one hand around her throat. Sabertooth snickered as she dug her claws into his arm in an effort to escape.

"Don't worry, little kitten. I won't let you go that easily." He said as he carried her over to where Firebat lay. Seeing one of his wings bent in an unnatural way angered Baku even more. She struggled even harder. As they approached, she heard a familiar voice coming from her right.

"Let her go!" Naturess said stepping from a tree, her crossbow trained on Sabertooth's back. She fired the crossbow, and, before the arrow had a chance to hit, she had the crossbow reloaded and fired a second arrow. Both hit Sabertooth in the left shoulder blade, momentarily weakening his grip on Baku's throat. Before she had a chance to capitalize on his weakness, he recovered. He pulled one out then turns to look at Naturess. He grins maniacally as she reaches for an arrow in an empty quiver.

"You are a resourceful one, ain't ya?" He asked. "I figured you'd been taken out with the fire dude over here."

"I'm more than even you can handle, Monster." Naturess said.

Quicker than even Naturess could follow, Sabertooth ran across the clearing and wrapped his other hand around her throat, lifting her off of the ground. Baku struggled harder than before, making him grip her throat tighter and piercing her skin with his claws.

"Don't you dare hurt her, you bastard." She whispered around his grip.

He smiled. "Don't worry. I will." He tightens his grip on Naturess just enough to cut off the blood flow to her brain and knocked her out. He then dropped her to the ground and reached into a pouch that the carried around his neck. He showed Baku a glass vial that was about an inch long. He took particular pleasure in showing her the special hypodermic needle that was fastened to one end. This he injected into Baku and her struggles stopped. "This will keep you quiet for a while." He said. "Don't worry. It just paralyzes your muscles. You'll still be able to see what I'm doing to your friend here." He dropped Baku to the ground, reached over his shoulder with his right hand and plucked the two arrows from his flesh. The he picked Naturess up and looked down at Baku. "Say good-bye to your friend." He said as he slammed the two arrows into her stomach.

Naturess' eyes popped open. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

As Sabertooth dropped Naturess, he was hit from many different areas. A crimson beam hit him in the back, knocking him forward into the trees lining the clearing, at the same time that he found himself suddenly encased in ice from the neck down. As he struggled to free himself from his icy prison, several lightning bolts struck him and a geyser of fire melted the ice and began searing his skin.

Baku moved her eyes as much as she could and saw Firebat standing amid cinders that used to be a tree. The look on his face was one that chilled even her blood. He started walking forward, toward Sabertooth. He staggered every other step or so, but he didn't fall, nor did he let up with his fire. When he reached Baku and Naturess, he finally fell. He looked at Baku as if she were something from a dream, but then turned his attention to Naturess.

"Don't worry." He said. "I'll take care of you."

A feral roar erupted from the area of the woods where Sabertooth stood and Firebat watched as Logan launched himself at the bigger man.

Cyclops came up from behind Firebat and knelt down next to Naturess. "Sorry, it took so long. We don't move as quick as you guys do." He looked down at Naturess' wound. "Oh, fuck." He touched his belt buckle. "Beast, we need an emergency med evac. Now."

"I hear and obey, Great One." Firebat heard Beast say.

Cyclops looked over at Baku and his mouth dropped open. "Baku?"

She nodded almost imperceptibly. Evidently whatever Sabertooth had injected into her was wearing off.

"Are you okay? Do we need to evacuate you as well?"

She growled.

"I'll take that as a 'No'." Cyclops said holding his hands up. "But when we get back to base, you have a lot of explaining to do."

The jet roared into view and a body basket, a device used to lift injured people off the ground and into waiting aircraft, was lowered. Firebat started to stand so that he could pick up Naturess, but Cyclops and Iceman moved faster than he could. Iceman took her feet and Cyclops took her shoulders, and they lifted her into the basket. Storm flew up into the open hatch of the jet and pressed the button that pulled the basket back into the jet.

Cyclops touched his belt buckle again. "Storm, once you and Beast have Naturess secured, we'll need that basket again for Firebat."

"I'm fine." Tommy said as he turned toward Sabertooth.

Cyclops put his hand on Firebat's shoulder. "_I_ say you go with Naturess. If you want to be part of this team, you'll need to learn to take orders. Even if they are for your own good."

Firebat turned with the intent of arguing with the X-Men's field commander, but the look on Cyclops' face brooked no argument.

As Firebat lay in the basket and watched the jet getting steadily closer, he heard Cyclops issuing orders to Bobby.

"Iceman, get over there and put those fires out. We don't want to burn down the forest. I'll cover Logan and make sure Sabertooth doesn't escape."

Storm helped Firebat out of the basket and into a bed. She rested a hand on his shoulder. "Beast will fly you back to the mansion and get you under Jean's capable care. I'm going back for Baku." She jumped out of the jet as the hatch closed.

On the outskirts of the Milky Way galaxy, a fiery object could be seen streaking through the vacuum of space. If one were to observe this phenomenon, hey would swear that it was in the shape of a bird. A great fiery bird.

Right behind the object, a fleet of Shi'ar vessels pursued at their highest possible speed.

"Are we certain of its destination?" An aged Shi'ar councilor asked. He turned and looked at the Empress sitting on her throne.

She nodded. "Absolutely."

"And you consort will help us when the time comes?"

She pierced him with a gaze that made lesser men crumble, but he didn't blink. "I've already said so, have I not?"

"My apologies, Majesty, it's just that it has been many years since dealing with this creature."

She almost allowed herself to grin. "Understandable, my old friend. This whole situation has us each at nerve's end."

They both turned to the view screen hanging from the ceiling of Lilandra's throne room and watched the object as it streaked through space.


	8. Chapter 8

Light pierced the darkness of unconsciousness, and quiet voices could be heard in the distance. Tommy Fitzpatrick moaned and eased his eyes open. He found that he was on his stomach on a bed in the X-Men's medical bay. In the bed right next to him was Naturess. The rhythmic beeping of the heart rate monitor was reassuring. Then it all came back to him. The fight with Sabertooth, finding out that Baku was more than what he was led to believe, even gaining some marginal respect from Logan, the same man who'd tried on a couple different occasions to skewer him with those claws of his.

He remembered the flight in from the Hills of northeastern Tennessee. He remembered getting off of the bed that Storm had put him on, staggering over to where Naturess was lying, and using his powers of fire generation to incinerate the two arrows in her abdomen, then cauterizing the wound. A bout of turbulence had tossed him back against the bed that he'd been on and he'd blacked out.

Someone wearing a white lab coat stepped into his field of view, and a stunningly beautiful redhead leaned down to look him in the eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Jean Grey asked.

"Like I'm ready to go a second round with Sabertooth." Tommy answered.

She chuckled. "Sorry, not going to happen any time soon." She checked the monitors that Naturess was hooked up to.

"How's she doing?" Tommy asked, propping himself up on his elbows. An unfamiliar weight drew his attention to his left wing. Part of it was covered in a white cast.

"She's doing very well." Jean answered. "Of course, if you hadn't cauterized the wound, I doubt she would have made it."

"I had to do something." He said. "How am I doing?"

"Nothing critical. Compound fracture of the wing, concussion, minor scrapes and cuts."

"And the others?"

"Well, they're back."

Firebat breathed a sigh of relief. "So they kicked Sabertooth's ass."

"I didn't say that." Jean said. Her tone said he was missing something.

"What's going on?" He started to sit up.

"Well, if you feel up to it, the Professor's getting a briefing now from Scott."

"Who?"

"Oh, sorry, Cyclops."

"Oh." He stood and walked over to Naturess' bed. "How long have we been out?"

"About 6 hours."

"And the Professor's just now getting a briefing?"

"They just now got back."

"Oh, shit." Tommy walked toward the door. "War Room?"

"Yeah," Jean replied as she hung her lab coat on a hook and followed. "Wait up, I'll walk with you."

Outside in the corridor, Tommy fell into step beside the redhead. "So, how long have you and Scott been together?"

"From the beginning." She answered then looked at him. "How did you know?"

"I can see it in your face when he's around, and when you talk about him. Besides, Bobby told me. I also know that when he came back, he was injured. Not badly, but injured nonetheless."

"And how do you know that?"

"Once again, your facial expression." He looked at her. "Am I wrong?"

"No." She sighed. "I just wish he'd at least take some aspirin, he's giving me a headache."

Tommy looked at her.

"Scott and I share this mental bond." She explained. "I know when he's in pain, dying, still alive even if he's missing."

"Ah. Must be nice to have someone like that in your life." He said.

"The Professor told me about Amanda." Jean said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Tommy said. "Not your fault." As he approached, the door to the War Room opened and they both stepped inside.

"And Logan went after them." Scott was finishing his report.

"Ok, what did I miss?" Tommy asked.

Scott turned to face him and Tommy winced. Gone was the eyepiece that he'd had on when Tommy last saw him and in its place was a pair of glasses with a red material instead of glass. But even through that, Tommy saw that the man had taken a beating.

Bobby stood next to him and when he turned, Tommy saw that he was in as bad a condition as Scott.

"Where's Storm?" Tommy asked.

"Right here, my friend." The woman's voice came through the open door behind him. He stepped aside and allowed the African woman to enter. She, too, displayed signs of a great fight.

"Logan? Baku?"

Scott sighed. "Sabertooth took off with Baku and Logan followed." Scott began his report again for Tommy's benefit.

Scott fired off an optic blast at Sabertooth. "Iceman, now!" He called out. He felt a sense of satisfaction as both his attack and Bobby's hit Sabertooth at the same time.

Unfortunately, Sabertooth was in a berserker frenzy and shrugged off the attacks. He picked up a fallen tree trunk, hit Logan across the back with it and knocked him into Bobby. He then turned and threw the log into the air, apparently catching Storm off guard and knocking her out of the air. Scott turned from where Bobby and Logan lay and fired again at Sabertooth. Sabertooth was smiling as he ducked.

"What are you smiling at, Asshole?" Scott called out.

All Sabertooth did was point up. And when Scott looked, he saw Storm dropping on him like a missile.

"The next thing I knew, Beast was loading us up in the jet."

"Oh. Any word from Logan?" asked Tommy.

"Not yet but Beast went back and is tracking Logan, so he can get Logan and Baku back quickly." Replied Scott.

6 Hours earlier

Baku struggled to get up, but she was still in the embrace of the drug, a drug that she knew intimately, even without Sabertooth's explanation. She watched as Sabertooth took out each of the remaining X-Men. By the time she shook off the effects of the drugs, it was too late, Sabertooth was right in front of her. He picked her up by the scruff of her neck.

"I told you I wouldn't let you go so easily." Laughed Sabertooth, and proceeded towards where Logan slowly was coming to. Laughter roared from Sabertooth and that made Logan awake real fast. Still trapped under the tree trunk he couldn't do anything but struggle to get up.

"Say good bye to your precious god daughter, it's the last time you will see her, but it won't be me that kills her." And with that, Sabertooth ran off into the woods carrying Baku with him.

After getting most of the way loose of the trunk Logan hit his belt buckle. "Beast, get down here and get everyone out of here, they are all in bad shape. I'm going after Sabertooth, he took Baku."

"Affirmative, I'm on my way." Said Beast. With that said, Logan lifted the tree off of Bobby, tossed it and ran off towards where Sabertooth went, hot on his trail.

The running seemed to go on forever. Baku hoped that it would, the longer they were running, the more her system would push out the drug that kept her immobilized. Baku looked down Sabertooth's back at the ground and tried to move her tail. No luck, the drug was still strong enough to keep her from using that particular weapon. But, the drug was wearing off more and more by the minute. She knew that a normal person would still have been paralyzed from the first dose that had been administered back in the clearing. If Sabertooth had not re-administered the drug a few minutes ago, (she honestly had to admire the deftness of his actions as he re-administered the drug on the run) she would have made her escape long ago.

Sabertooth slowed to a stop and Baku caught a whiff of aged wood and wood smoke. She tried to crane her head around to look at her surroundings, but was once again reminded that she still had the drug in her system. Sabertooth kicked open a door and Baku saw the leaf and twig strewn ground was replaced by a wooden floor, and the smell of pine sap and cedar was replaced by a medicinal smell that she had not experienced in many years.

Sabertooth threw her onto a bed and quickly secured her hands and feet by tying each extremity to a corresponding bedpost.

"Don't worry, Kitten, I'm going to take real good care of you." Sabertooth chuckled.

It was not necessarily the words, but the tone with which the words were said that sent shivers racing up and down Baku's spine. She watched out the corner of her eyes as he walked over to a cabinet and removed a small box. He set the box on a stool that had been placed by the bed to serve as a table. He sat on the edge of the bed and opened the box. Baku's eyes widened as she saw ten vials of blue liquid and one syringe. Sabertooth laughed as he watched Baku struggling to overthrow the shackles of the drug.

"After today," he reached over to gently stroke her cheek, "you will be mine. Again, and forever." He inserted the needle of the syringe into the blue vial and pulled back on the plunger, draining the vial. He threw the empty vial across the room, ignoring the sound of the fragile vial shattering against the wall.

Logan made good time through the woods. He felt more at home in the wild than he did anywhere else most of the time. Whether that wild be the frozen tundra of Canada or the hills of Tennessee, it didn't matter. The only differences were superficial: smells, appearance, temperature, and wildlife.

He paused near a fork in the path he'd been following and sniffed the air. Without hesitation, he followed the right hand path. After several yards, he caught wind of wood smoke. He dropped to stalking posture and approached the cabin so quietly he doubted a mouse would have been disturbed.

He peered through a window and saw his quarry sitting on the edge of a bed. He also saw a foot lashed to a bedpost. He watched as Sabertooth threw something across the room and his sensitive hearing caught the sound of breaking glass. He saw red start to creep in from the edges of his vision. He backed up several yards and charged forward. He leapt toward the window, curling himself up into a ball before impact. He burst through the window and rolled across the floor. He came up and spun toward the bed. He saw Sabertooth with a syringe of blue liquid poised above Baku.

"You will not touch her again, Asshole!" He roared.

Sabertooth just grinned. "We were expecting you, Runt." He said. "You're wrong about one thing. It's too late for her." He jammed the needle into Baku's neck and depressed the plunger. Baku screamed as the liquid disappeared into her veins and Logan buried his claws into the shoulders of Sabertooth. With a monumental grunt, he lifted Sabertooth up and tossed him through another window.

Logan turned his attention back to Baku and watched in horror as she convulsed. He quickly cut her bindings and stepped back. As suddenly as it began, the convulsions stopped and Baku became still. He waited full ten heartbeats for her to move. Her eyes, wide and unseeing, were beginning to freak even him. He reached down and checked her pulse, he grunted in satisfaction as he felt it. It was faint, but there. He heard loud, malicious laughter from behind him. He spun around and found Sabertooth standing outside the window he had been thrown through.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Logan yelled, throwing himself at his lifelong nemesis.

Sabertooth fell before the weight of the smaller man, but didn't stop laughing as Logan was hit from behind and flew several yards through the air.

Logan looked up and saw Baku. _Thank God, she's alive._ He thought. He studied the way she was standing. _Something's wrong._ Baku had a smile on her face that almost made her look insane. But the smile didn't reach her eyes; they stared at him in a cold and calculating way. It was the same expression that he had used himself many times. He was looking at a hunter.

Sabertooth stood and wrapped his arms around Baku's waist and pulled her to him. He planted a long kiss on her lips. A kiss that, to Logan's surprise, Baku returned. "Kill him." He whispered.

Without hesitation, Baku charged Logan. Logan was in shock as he watched her move. He retracted his claws, picked her up, and tossed her over his head. She landed on her feet and struck Logan in his back, sinking her own claws into his flesh, and her fangs into the back of his neck. Logan reached over his shoulders, wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck and thumbs under her chin, and threw her again. She landed by Sabertooth, who was still laughing.

"What's the matter, Runt?" Sabertooth said between laughs. "Can't bring yourself to hurt your precious God-daughter?"

Baku charged Logan again. Logan let her hit him. He popped the claws of his right hand and buried them in her shoulder, forcing her face into the ground. Without hesitation, he retracted his claws again and dropped his elbow onto the back of her neck, knocking her out.

Sabertooth finally stopped laughing as he noticed Baku's unmoving form on the ground and Logan walking toward him.

Logan hit his belt buckle communicator. "Beast, get down here. Baku needs immediate medical attention. Be careful, she's exceptionally dangerous right now." A second passed and the sound of the jet's engines could be heard over them.

"NOOOOO!" Sabertooth screamed. "You cannot have her again!" He charged Logan. "It's only a matter of time before I have her again, and again, and again!"

Logan drew back his right arm and unleashed a massive punch right into Sabertooth's mouth. At the same time that his knuckles met flesh and bone, he popped his claws. Sabertooth, blood trailing from his mouth and the three holes in the back of his head, flew backwards several yards. Before Sabertooth's body hit the ground, Logan had turned and jumps into the basket with Baku.

After securing the basket, Logan picked Baku up and carried her to a bed and strapped her down with inch and a half thick leather straps. He looked down at her unconscious face, and crouched down next to her. "Fight this, Kat. You can beat it." He whispered. Her facial expression did not change. Suddenly her eyes snapped open and she began thrashing about, trying to get free.

Logan jumped up and grabbed Baku's shoulders. "Kat! Fight it! You can beat this!" he yelled. She continued to thrash about trying to sink her claws (literally) into Logan. She thrashed harder and harder, to the point that her arms began bleeding heavily. With steel in his eyes, he grabbed a hypodermic syringe and shot her with enough tranquilizer to keep an elephant on ice for a week. If he was lucky, it would keep her down until they reach the mansion and Jean could take a look at her.

Jean was already in the infirmary when Beast and Logan pushed in Baku's gurney. Jean noticed that Baku's arms were already healed, but she knew that they were far from safe.

"Over here." She led them to a bed off to one side. It was one that she had personally designed and had Beast build. It was specifically designed to keep Logan restrained. Fortunately, it would work for Baku as well. They gently transferred her from the gurney onto the bed.

"She'll be waking up soon," Logan told her as he removed his mask. "Where's the new kid Firebat?"

"Up stairs shooting pool with Bobby."

Logan nodded and followed Beast out of the infirmary.

Just as Logan had predicted, Baku awoke a few minutes later. Baku stared around her wildly, looking for Logan. Jean nodded in satisfaction, noting that these restraints were not causing any harm.

"Baku, it's Jean. Do you remember me?"

Baku growled and glared. Jean took a blood sample and carried it over to Beast for analysis.

Hours go by, and Baku's condition did not change. Beast finally completed his analysis of Baku's blood.

"This is very interesting," He stated even as he walked through the door. "She has some sort of control drug in her system that I've never seen before nor can I identify it." He placed a slide under the microscope for Jean to see. "Usually, with her regeneration ability, she can fight off these sort of drugs, but this one's different. It seems resistant to these powers. I theorize that it would even work on our friend Logan."

Jean looked into the microscope and studied the blood cells.

"My suggestion is to do a complete blood transfusion."

Jean looked up at him. "But, the only one who can supply the proper blood type is…"

"Logan." Beast finished.

2 hours later

Baku regained consciousness and saw a clean room and a woman walking up to her. She starts to panic as she realizes that she's restrained.

"Baku, calm down. You're in the infirmary at the mansion." The woman says. Baku recognizes the voice; up close she finally focuses on who it is.

"Jean?" Baku's voice is raspy, her throat dry.

"That's right. Sounds like you're thirsty." She held a cup of water to Baku's lips. "At least you're talking, but I can't let you go just yet. The Professor needs to talk to you first, make sure you're," Jean shrugged, "you." She grinned and rubbed Baku's arm in a comforting manner. "I'd do it myself, but with your history I wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Where's Naturess?" Baku asked. Jean pointed to a bed by the wall. Baku looked as well as she could. It was Naturess, still unconscious, but hooked to a heart rate monitor that issued a reassuring beep at regular intervals. By the bed was an empty steel chair. "You can see her after the Professor clears you."

The door opening caught Baku's attention. She turned and saw Professor X and Logan walk in. Logan held a look of contempt when he looked at her and stopped at the foot of the bed. Professor X maneuvered his hover chair around to the head of the bed. Without saying a word, he placed his hands on either side of her head.

Flashes of images flooded his mind, in bits and pieces. First was an image of Sabertooth, a fight and a struggle with him, next was Logan. Then she was walking into the mansion. Next was Logan being attacked and she ran away. The meeting of Naturess came next with her saving the young woman's life. Following these images came battles against various poachers and thieves, meeting the X-Men, returning to the mansion, stumping Logan's senses, and finally the battle against Sabertooth. Sabertooth making her watch Naturess get stabbed with her own arrows, watching Logan, Storm, Bobby, and Scoot get knocked out. Running through the woods to a cabin, Logan coming to the rescue, a sharp pain, then nothing but blackness.

The Professor looked up and moved his hands away from Baku's head. He had a look of concern. "Jean, release her, she's not a danger to anyone. He said. "I would also like a word with in my office later." He said to Baku as he turned to leave the infirmary.

Logan was still standing at the foot of her bed as she got up. "I want to talk to you now, in private." He scowled as he left the room.

Baku walked over to Naturess, careful not to disturb the many machines that were attached to her. "I'm here and I'm going to take care of you." She whispers, tears beginning to well in her eyes. As she turns to leave, a hand gently touches hers and she saw Naturess looking up at her.

"I knew you'd return, but you're not Baku." Naturess whispered.

Baku smiles and sends a mental response. "Yes, I am, but I want you to know the truth. My full name is Katrina Baku Yamisha, also known as Kat. I stayed a panther to keep my identity secret so Sabertooth couldn't find me. Unfortunately, it didn't work and I put you in danger. Please forgive me. I thought that by keeping this from you, I was protecting you."

Naturess reached up with one hand and wiped away Kat's tears. "No, I'm the one who should apologize. I couldn't protect you. I tried, but he was too much."

Kat smiled through her tears. "I'll be back. I have a couple of people I need to talk to. I've been putting this off way too long." She turned and left the infirmary.

Kat followed Logan's scent through the halls to the Danger Room. Once inside she found herself slammed against a wall.

"What kinda crazy stunt was that?" Logan yelled, his nose mere centimeters from hers. "You know you can't handle Sabertooth by yourself. And I told you, you were safer here where you have others to protect you." Logan growled.

"If I remember right, you said to stay here so that _you_ could protect me." Kat purred with a smile. Logan growled louder. He set her down, turned and moved a few feet away. "Thank you for saving me. I'm sorry that I turned away when I needed you the most, but if I hadn't, a girl would have died and would not be with us today." Kat said softly. "She is to this day, my best friend."

Logan spun around and slammed his fist into the wall an inch from Kat's left ear. He then embraced her. "You're here and alive, that's all that matters. I'm still pissed as hell. You made me think I'd lost you again."

About that time, Bobby and Tommy walked into the control room in time to see Logan hit the wall, and the following embrace.

"Ok, that's the strangest thing I've ever seen." Tommy said, shocked. "I didn't peg him as the huggy type."

Bobby looked down from the window then back over at Tommy. "Don't worry about it. That's normal for them." He shrugged. "I'm just surprised their not fighting yet."

Tommy glanced at Bobby then returned his attention to Logan and Kat, but they were gone. Who is this woman? "Tell you what, Bobby, show me that program later, I gotta go check on Naturess."

"No prob." Bobby said hitting a few buttons on the console. "I'll be here running it, feel free to join in whenever."

Tommy turned and left the room. Who is this woman? The question kept eating at him while he walked down the hall toward the infirmary. As he entered, he noticed Naturess was awake and sitting up. Jean was helping her drink some water.

"Well, there's the man who saved my life." Naturess said. "I was wondering when you were gonna come around."

Tommy smiled and pointed to the chair. "I've actually been keeping you company except for the occasional mandatory breaks and when Dr. Jean makes me go eat."

Naturess looked at Jean, who nodded in confirmation. "Twenty-four seven. He would have gone without food if I'd let him."

Naturess smiled at him. "Please sit again. I have things I need to say."

Tommy slipped into the metal chair and waited for Jean to leave.

Naturess extended her hand. Tommy willed down the fire from his hand and took hers. "My judgment of you was wrong and I'm sorry."

Tommy shrugged. "Don't worry about it, I get it all the time." He glanced around the room. "I'm just glad that you're doing better and that Baku's back." He grinned at the word play, in spite of himself. Everything was going to be fine now.


	9. Chapter 9

9

The smell of aged leather, furniture polish, and a hint of dust assailed Kat's sensitive nostrils as she sat in a red leather wingback chair in the corner of Professor X's office.

Professor X sat behind his desk having a quiet conversation with an obviously pissed off Scott and a much calmer Logan. She chuckled. _That's a switch_. She thought. Even with her sensitive hearing, the majority of the conversation was beyond her scope of eavesdropping, although she did manage to pick up on a word or two, mainly from Scott. "Irresponsible" was a favorite of his.

Every time Scott would use that word, he'd gesture in her direction, but, eager as she was to jump into the verbal fray, she clasped her hands across her stomach, crossed her legs and let her twitching tail be the only indication of her temperament.

Professor X finally held up a hand to Scott's protestations and looked at Kat.

"I apologize, Kat, for not including you in these discussions, especially considering that they concern you." He gestured for her to approach.

She stood and rubbed her hands on her thighs. She hated sweaty palms. She looked down at her thighs and made a mental note to take a shower later to remove the sweat from her fur, and to get some clothes. She can't run around in nothing but fur forever.

She stood between Logan and Scott and faced Professor X.

"I realize that you've been through a lot, and, according to Logan, you want to stay. But, for me to grant you permission to remain, you have to tell me everything. Why you left, why you want to stay this time, everything." He held up his hand when Scott opened his mouth. "Now, as I'm sure you've gathered, Scott is not at all pleased about the method of your return. So let's start with that. Why is it that when we picked you up in Tennessee, you did not identify yourself? At the very least to me."

"Well, I believed that keeping my true identity secret from Naturess would protect her from Sabertooth."

"But, it di…" Scott said.

"It didn't." Kat said cutting him off like he didn't exist. "I realize the flaw to my plan now. But, you have to understand. Shortly before I left, I received a mental distress call from Naturess. And that is why I left. To save her. I did not immediately return, because of the _way_ I left."

Five years earlier….

"Kat, pay attention!" Scott called out.

Kat whipped her head around and jumped to one side as a man bearing a M-16 fired at her. If she'd been half a second slower, she'd've been cut in half. She launched herself at the man, changing herself into a half-cat half-woman creation. Her weight knocked the man down and she knocked him out with a single punch to the jaw. _Damn Scott and his 'No Killing' order._ She thought as she looked down at the unconscious man.

She looked around for her next target and saw her fluttering above the battle. WarAngel looked down at the line where her troops met the X-Men in battle. Kat ran toward her and launched herself into the air. She caught hold of WarAngel's boot with her teeth and began clawing up her leg, trying to bring her to ground. She ignored the bite of WarAngel's whip and fist.

Suddenly, an image exploded in her head. She saw, through someone else's eyes, a dozen men running toward her.

"Get that mutie freak." One yelled.

"Your kind ain't welcome here." Yelled another.

_Dear God, someone please help me._ Kat heard inside her mind. She dropped from her attack on WarAngel and ran from the battlefield.

"Kat, where in hell are you going, girl?" Yelled Logan as he sliced the barrel off of another machine gun.

She ignored him and disappeared into the night.

"Yeah, well, two things. One: we already knew all of that, and two) that almost got several of your so-called teammates ki…" Scott began.

Professor X held up his hand to stop Scott. "Please continue Kat."

Kat completed her transformation into her panther form and started running through the woods towards the distress signal. She was almost there when a familiar scent caught her attention. She came to a halt. Logan had left the battle too, this time under orders from Cyclops, to stop her.

"What the hell are you doing? You don't just up and leave your team in the middle of a battle."

"Logan, you don't understand, there is something I need to do. I'm coming back as soon as I can."

"Don't think so, we all have orders to follow and you're breaking them."

"Like you're one to lecture about following orders." Kat snarled.

Suddenly, it happened again. An image hit her, this time the men were right there, she saw feet and fists closing in on her. "_Please help me!"_

"Damn it, Logan, I'm running out of time." Kat said, emphatically, as she tried to maintain her balance. That last one almost knocked her over.

Logan was getting pissed. "No! My orders are to bring you back. Look, I'll drag your ass back if I have to, don't make me."

Kat hung her head. She owed her life to Logan, and here she was, going against everything he'd taught her.

"Logan, damn it, this is something I have to do."

"We're a team, Kat. And I'm not talking about the X-Men here. I'm talking about you and me. You can't just run off and do your own thing, kid, you gotta stay where I can protect you."

Logan was just about to boil over, and didn't immediately realize what he'd said. Kat, knowing that she had to go, didn't waste the time to call him on it. Another image assailed her. This one was of a man with a very large knife. She had to go. Now!

"I'm sorry, Logan, but I can't go back just yet, and there's no way I'm letting you drag me back."

Like a flash of lightning, Kat charged Logan, spun 360 degrees and smacked him in the stomach with her tail sending him flying several yards through the air into a tree trunk. Before he hit the ground, she was off and running through the trees.

Up to this point Logan was nodding in confirmation.

"My ribs were sore for a week after that." Logan grunted.

Professor X nodded for Kat to continue.

She knew she didn't have far to run, she could smell them even from where she was standing with Logan. In mid-stride she shrunk from the size of a black panther to the size of a black tabby and crept through the shadows. She peered around a tree and counted eight men surrounding a small, young woman. She'd been beaten, apparently, with an inch of her life. But the men had stopped and watched as one gripped the young woman's hair and held a 12-inch hunting knife to her throat.

The tree Kat was behind was a large oak. She took advantage of the tree's size to shapeshift back to her panther size. Using her claws she climbed the trunk and maneuvered around until she was above the group. With a roar, she dropped down onto the man with the knife. Using her tail, she knocked a couple of the men away and her claws she chased the rest away. Kat turned to face the young child.

The girl stared at her, fear and anxiety apparent in both her eyes and her scent.

_Are you ok?_

"Whoa are you talking to me?" The girl was beginning to lose her fear and nervousness, gaining confidence in equal parts. "Either I'm going crazy, or I got hit on the head harder than I thought."

_I heard your cry for help and felt compelled to come running._

"You _are_ talking to me!" The girl had completely overcome her fear by this point. "I still think I'm crazy."

Kat chuckled. _No. You're not crazy. I am talking to you._ She touched the side of the girl's head with her tail. _Up here._

Kat went around and sniffed the men that lay around the tree trunk. The thought that was running through her mind, she kept to herself. _Shit! What have I done! Two of these men are dead, Yeah, they're bad men, doing something almost inhuman, but as an X-Man, I'm under orders not to kill. Man, I'm in deep kimche._ Kat sat still as an ebony statue. She could practically hear her world come crashing down around her ears. Suddenly she felt arms wrap around her neck.

"Thank you for rescuing me. I don't know why they did this to me. I never did anything to them." The girl started to cry. "Why do people hate people like me?"

Kat turned and wrapped a paw around the girl and squeezed slightly. In her current form this was the closest she could get to a hug.

_That's because they fear what they don't understand. It's the nature of people._ She looked around, testing the air. _We can't stay here for long. Those rednecks will be back with reinforcements and nice healthy dose of whiskey._

"I can't walk." The girl whimpered.

Kat looked down at the girl's legs. She was right, she had a bad gash in one thigh and the other knee was a swollen mass of skin and muscle sharing its coloration with a bruised plum.

_Can you climb on my back?_ She lay down onto her belly.

"I think so." The girl maneuvered herself onto Kat's back, keeping her arms wrapped around her neck. "Who are you?"

Kat gut up and began moving away into the forest.

_Call me Baku._

Kat looked in the direction of the X-Men. She knew she couldn't go home now. She'd broken too many rules, disobeyed too many orders. After what she'd done, the only one who'd accept her back, maybe, was Logan. She continued winding her way through the trees. _Besides,_ she thought to herself, _staying at the mansion keeps me on Sabertooth's radar. Not exactly how I want to live the rest of my life._

The silence that followed Kat's tale was almost absolute as each of the men reacted in their own manner to what she had said.

Professor X stared intently at Kat over steepled fingers, Scott's jaw dropped, and Logan was barely maintaining his calm.

"If you had told me that you were saving someone's life, I'd've been there for you and to hell with Scott." Logan said quietly.

"Which is why I didn't tell you. I'm okay with being on the outs with the X-Men, but I couldn't force you into that decision." Kat explained.

"If you had come back afterward, we would've understood." Scott said, his authorative tone retuning.

"I broke one of the basic tenants of the X-Men. I killed." Kat explained.

"So has Logan, but we've accepted him back."

"Good point, however, I did not realize that at the time." Kat looked back at Professor X. "Sir?"

Professor X looked at Scott and Logan. "Gentlemen, if you'll excuse us. I have matters to discuss with our wayward X-Man."

They nodded and left, but not before Logan put his hand on Kat's shoulder and gently squeezed.

Outside the professor's office, Scott and Logan ran into Tommy.

"What's going on?" Tommy asked. "Is she in trouble?"

"We'll find out when Chuck's done with her." Logan said, lighting a cigar. He ignored Scott's look of disgust. "I believe I owe you a beer." He clapped Tommy on the shoulder. "C'mon."

"Sorry, Logan," Tommy said. "I don't drink."

"Fine." Logan smiled. "More for me."

"Not that I'm turning you down, but I can't go to a bar looking like this." He indicated his wings and the wisps of fire dancing on his skin.

"We've got just the thing." He led Tommy to the elevator. After they stepped inside, Logan pressed the button for the Sub-basement.

"Ok, what?" Tommy asked.

"An old invention of Hank's. One that has served him well in the past. Him and Kurt." Logan led him from the elevator and into Hank's laboratory. "Hey, Hank." Logan said.

Tommy saw that the blue furred X-Man was hanging upside down by his toes.

"Ahh, salutations, Logan and Firebat." Hank said as he flipped off the bar he'd been hanging from and landed nimbly on his feet. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Fire-boy here needs an Image Inducer."

"Can't do better than the classics." Hank smiled as he walked over to a wall of metal lockers. His feline-like finger danced a complex series of routines on a number keypad and a door opened. He rummaged around the interior and pulled out a metal circle. "Here we go." He turned with a smile. "Firebat, this is for you. Consider it a," he waved his hand around a little, "welcome to the team gift."

Tommy was staring intently at the chalkboard. "You're calculations are a little off."

Hank walked over to the chalkboard. "Well, the board's upside down." He spun the board around. "Try it this way."

Tommy's eyes widened. "You're right." He said. "Their way off." He picked up a piece of chalk and the eraser. "The coefficient of this figure here is way off." He erased the mistake and chalked in the proper answer.

"You understand multi-dimensional quantum physics?" Hank asked, surprised.

Tommy just stepped back and looked at the board. "Apparently." He wasn't sure who was more surprised, Hank or he, himself.

Tommy took the metal circle and placed it around his neck. Logan touched a button on the device and gone was the mutant looking Firebat replaced by a man of Caucasian persuasion with long brown hair and a neatly trimmed beard wearing a black leather trench coat, faded blue jeans and red flannel shirt.

"Thanks, Hank." Logan said as he led Tommy out of the lab. He clapped Tommy on the back. "I've never seen Hank flabbergasted into silence before." He chuckled.

"I can see why you may not have wanted to return," Professor X said, motioning Kat into a chair. "However, even after everything that you went through, Scott and Logan both are correct, you should have returned. You were a member of the team. And like any team in the world, from the Cub Scouts to the X-Men, every member is important." Kat opened her mouth to interject, but Professor X held up a hand. "Thankfully we prevailed that night, WarAngel fled with a few members of her organization, you tore up her leg bad enough that she couldn't finish what she started. But, because of the way you left, both Cyclops and Psylocke were shot. I understand that it was due to no fault of your own, believe me. But several months afterward, Logan lead a manhunt looking for you." He commanded his chair to rise and move over the desk. He set down behind Kat. "Now, as part of the condition for you to remain here, I have to examine your psychic shield. I've never felt one so complete, outside my own of course. And I will trust you not to use it while here. I may have need to contact you at any time. If you use your shield, you won't hear me. I will counsel you to use it around your most private thoughts, but not your entire mental process."

Kat turned her chair around so that she was facing him.

_Please show me your psi-shield. Bring it up slowly._

Kat brought the shield up slowly. When it was in place, Professor X closed his eyes to study it.

_Thank you, please keep it in place for a few seconds. And I must apologize this will hurt._

Suddenly, Kat was hit with a mental backlash. She let out an inadvertent squeal. She resisted the urge to massage her temples. Her brain felt like it had been hit with a mental tractor-trailer traveling at 75 miles per hour. She tumbled out of her chair and landed on the front of Xavier's chair. He helped her to steady herself as she pushed herself up and slumped back into the chair. The mental backlash hit her harder than even Charles had anticipated and she felt weaker than at any other time in her life. After about a minute she felt her strength returning, the headache on the other hand never left.

"Are you alright?" Charles asked. Kat nodded. He touched a button on his chair. "Ororo, please come to my office, and bring some aspirin."

"Right away, Charles." Storm replied.

Charles moved his chair over to his non-alcoholic mini-bar against one wall of his office and poured a glass of water. As he was handing it to Kat, Ororo entered the room. He noticed that, as with all his X-Men, as soon as she'd returned from her last mission she'd changed from her uniform of skin tight silver bordered in yellow into work boots, tight blue jeans, light flannel shirt, with her long white hair pulled back into a pony tail.

"Here you go, child." Ororo said kneeling next to Kat hand handing her a couple.

Kat nodded her thanks as she popped the pills into her mouth and chased them with a drink of water.

"Kat has agreed to stay with us," Charles said. "Conditionally."

"Conditionally?"

"Yes. She's under probation, and she's under your guardianship."

"Under probation for how long?"

"Until you deem otherwise."

"Understood." She turned back toward Kat. "Let's go get you settled into your room." She said, helping Kat stand.


End file.
